Cartridge-loading machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

w. HILL.

CARTRIDGE LOADING MAGHINE.

N0. 332,904. Patented Dec. 22, 1885.

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k Aniilll (No'ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. HILL.

CARTRIDGE LOADING MACHINE. No. 332,904. Patented Dec. 22, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER HILL, OF SOUTH EASTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CARTRIDGE-LOADING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 332,904, dated December22, 1885.

Application filed April 4, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VALTER HILL, a citizen of the United States,residing at South Ea ton, in the county of Bristol and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCartridgeLoaders, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple, compact, and portablemachine for loading, capping, and decapping and crimping cartridges allin one continuous operation.

The invention comprises a holder or receptacle for containing powder,shot, and wads in separate compartments, so arranged and connected thatthe powder and wad or wads and the shot and wad or wads are fedsuccessively to the cartridges, as desired, and without changing theposition of the cartridge or of either receptacle during the operation.

Means areprovided for accurately measuring charges of any required sizeas they are fed to the cartridgeshell. A device is also provided forfeedingone or more wads successively to the cartridge-shell withoutinterfering with any of the other operations.

The invention further comprises a peculiar means for forcing the wad orwads into the cartridge-shells, and also for decapping the shells, andalso a peculiar device for recapping cartridge-shells preparatory toreloading A clutch or holder for holding the cartridge-shell while beingloaded, decapped, capped, and crimped is also employed, and also adevice for crimping the cartridge wit h-' out removing it from theclutch.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 represents a front view of a cartridgeloading machineconstructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of thesame. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the top with the cover removed. Fig. 4 isa transverse vertical section taken on line a: :v of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is alongitudinal vertical section taken on line y y of Fig. 2, with plungerremoved. Fig. 6 isa vertical section of the plunger. Figs. 7 to 9 aredetail views hereinafter more fully described.

A is a base piece or frame of the machine,to be secured to arbench ortable by means of a clamp-screw, B.

D is a cartridge-shell holder consisting of a Serial No. 161.176. (Nomodel.)

flat piece of metal perforated atits center,and

having ears or turned-over edges at the front and rear for retainingtherim of the cartridge F is aspring clamped to the back of the A frame Aby means of a thumb-screw, G, and to the upper portion of the spring Fis secured the box or receptacle H. The spring F is made adjustablevertically on the frame A, so that the distance between the holder D andthe bottom of the box H can be regulated according to the size of thecartridge-shell being loaded. The box or receptacle H is divided intofive separate compartments, a b c d e, the compartmenta for holdingpowder, b for shot, 0 d for wads, and the central compartment, 6, for aplunger, I. The bottom of the compartments at b are made sloping orfunnel-shaped, for conducting the powderand shot to the bottom of thecentral opening, e, and the said compartments are each fitted with avalvechamber,ff, in which two valves, 9 9, attached to rods h h, arefree to slide, the lower ends of the rods passing out through the bottomof the valve-chambers and secured to arms '5 c" by setscrews or otherconvenient means. The upper ends of the rods h h are bent, as'shown, soas to press against the sides of the valve-chamber, and thus act assprings for preventing the valves from falling by their own weight. Theupper valves, 9, are permanently attached to the rods h h, and the lowervalves, g, are adj ustable on the said rods and held in position bymeans ofthumb-screwsj j. The space between the valves 9 y can thus beadjusted to hold any required charge of powder and shot, a graduatedscale marked on each side of the box indicating the quantity that willbe held between the valves 9 g, so that should alarger charge berequired then the valve 9 is lowered to the required mark indicated onthe scale, and if a smaller charge is required the valve g is raised tothe required mark on the scale. The space between the two valves 9 g arethus adj usted to contain the desired charge. Suitable openings are madein the partitions dividing the valve-chambers from the chambers a b, andsimilar openings are made between the valve-chambers and the centralopening, 0, for allowing the charge to enter between the valves, andwhen said valves are drawn down the charge escapes into the centralopening, e.

J is a slide having two openings. (See Fig. 9.) This slidepasses underthe compartments 0 (2, containing the wads, and also under the centralopening, 0, so that when one of the openings is under the compartment (1the other opening will be under the central opening, 6, and the lowerwad in the compartment (1 will fall into the opening under thatcompartment, and when the slide is pushed back will carry the wad underthe central opening, e, ready to.

be forced into the cartridge shell. The other opening in the slide willthen be under the compartment 0, ready to receive a'wad from thatcompartment, which in turn will be drawn under the central opening, e,as the slide is again drawn forward, and so on, a wad being carriedunder the central opening every time the slide is pushed back or drawnforward.

The plate H, forming the base of the box or receptacle H, is formed inthe center with a circular aperture, into which is fitted a ring, J,either by means of a screw or pins formed on the ring J and fitting intoa 'groove cut into the inner surface of the aperture of the plate H.Inside the ring J 'is secured another ring, K, of thin metal slit up, asshown in Figs. 4 and 5, and the lower ends are turned slightly in towardthe center. By this arrangement the cartridge-shell when placed inposition on the machine passes up a shortdi'stance between the ring Jand ring K, so that when the wads are forced down intothe'cartridge-shell they will be properlyguided, and will not strikeupon the upper edge of the cartridge-shell. The rings J and K are maderemovable, so that rings of different sizes'may be inserted according tothe size of cartridgeshell being filled.

The plunger [is made hollow, and has a rod, k, passing through it, theupper end of which is secured to the knob I, and at the lower is a screwupon which is placed a nut, Z, which prevents the rod from beingdrawnout beyond a certaindistance, and the extreme end of the rod isprovided with a needle 'or punch, m, which is caused to project beyondthe end of the plunger, when required to decap the cartridge-shells, byturning the handle I, the lower end of which is formed with a tongue,while the upper end of the plunger is formed with a groove, into whichthe tongue fits, so that when the handle is turned to cause the tongueto fit into the groove the punch m will project, but when the handle isdrawn up and turned at right angles the tongue will rest upon the top ofthe plunger and prevent the punch from projecting below the bottom, inwhich position it is employed for forcing the wads intothe-cartridge-shell. In the side of the plunger I is cut a long narrowgroove, n,

into which fits a pin, 1), (shown in Fig. 3,) on the end of a spring.The said spring and pin hold the plunger up and prevent it from fallingby its own weight.

L is a sliding frame held onto the frame A by means of a dovetailedgroove on the under side of frame L, and fitting over the sides of thebase-plate, that has its edges in that part formed to correspond. Theframe L is moved backward and forward by means of the handlever M,fulcrumed to the frame A at r, and is provided at its forward end with arest, N, and at its rear end with a crimper, P, that can be rotated bythe hand-lever Q.

The cartridge-shell is kept from rotating during the operation ofcrimping by means of a spring, R, secured to the bracket 0, pressingagainst the metal rim of the same and holding it stationary.

To the under side of the cartridge shell holder D is pivoted acap-holder, S, which is free to be swung out, as shown in Fig. 7, so asto receive a new cap, after which it is pushed back, so as to bring thecap under the aperture in the center of the shell-holder D, as shown inFigs. 4 and 5.

T is a lever fulcrumed to the frame A at t, and kept in a raisedposition by means of -a spring, U. The inner end of this lever {passesunder a small plunger, V, in the cap-carrier's, so that by depressingthe lever T the plunger V is raised and forces the cap on the carrier Sinto the cartridge-shell. This capping device is used for reloading theshells.

The operation is as follows: The machine is secured to a bench or table,and the several parts being in the positions shown in the drawings, andthe several compartments supplied with powder, shot, and wads, theshell-holder isturned to an angle of about forty-five degrees, when theshell can be inserted, as shown by dotted lines (marked 1) in Fig. 4.The shell is then pushed back, the box H being pressed back, so as toallow the upper edge of the shell to pass between the rings J and K.(See Fig. 4.) The shell is then held in the position marked 2, and thethumb-piece drawn down, which supplies the proper amount of powder thatfalls into the shell. The thumb-piece i is then pushed up and the slideJ moved back, which carries a wad from compartment d to the bottom ofcompartment 6. A blow is then struck on the knob I, and the plungerforces the wad down. The plunger is then drawn up and the thumbpiece '5pulled down, which allows the re quired amount of shot to pass into theshell, when the thumb-piece t" is pushed up and the slide J drawnforward, carrying a wad from compartment 0 to the bottom of compartmente. The plunger I is then again forced down, sending the wad onto the topof the shot. The shell,thusloaded,is then turned into the position shownby dotted lines marked 3, and the lever M pressed so as to bring thecrimper P into contact with the cartridge. By turning the handle Q theedge of the cartridge is turned inward and the latter is complete. Thecartridge is then again turned to the position marked 1 in dotted line,when it can be withdrawn from the machine.

In reloading a shell, after it has been placed in position marked 2, theknob I is turned so that the punch on will project, as shown in Fig. 6,and a blow being struck on the knob I the spent cap is forced out. A newcap is then placed on the cap-carrier and put into position, and byapplying pressure to the lever T the cap is forced into the shell, andthe operation of loading is then continued as before described.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A cartridge-loading machineconsisting of a box or receptacle divided into several compartments, allconnected with a central compartment in which is a plunger, two of saidcompartments being for powder and shot, respectively, and two forholding wads, placed one on each side of the central compartment, andprovided with a perforated slide, which takes a wad alternately fromeach wad-compartment, the chambers for powder and shot being-providedwith valves to allow the powder and shot to pass into the centralcompartment, the said valves being so adjusted as to admit of a greateror less quantity of powder and shot to pass into the central compartmentto be fed to the cartridgeshells, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the receptacles a b, holding, respectively, powderandshot, cham bers f f, arranged between the receptacles a b and thecentral delivery-tube, valves 99 and g 9, arranged one set above and oneset below the deliverypassage leading from the powderand-shotreceptacles to the chambers ff and attached to rods h h, which are freeto slide up and down, the lower ends of the rods h h passing through thebottom of the chambers ff and secured to arms i,by which the said rodsare moved, the upper valves, 9 9, being permanently attached to the rodsh h, and the lower valves, 9 g, being adjustable on said rods, wherebythe space between the two sets of valves can be adjusted to hold anyrequired charge of powder or shot, all substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. The cartridge-holder D, in combination with and pivoted to arms 0 G,secured to the upright portion of the frame A, the arm 0 being attachedto the frame by means of a screw, so that it can be readily removed forthe accommodation of cartridge-shells of different sizes, as set forth.

4. The plate H, forming the base of the receptacle H, and provided withan opening at its center, in combination with the removable rings J andK, the latter being secured within the ring J, and also slitted at itslower portion and bent slightly inward, as and for the purpose setforth.

5. The combination, with the base-plate A and the receptacle H, of theadjustable and adjusting spring F, secured to the base-plate by a screw,G, so that the receptacle H can be readily adjusted to cartridge-shellsof different lengths, as set forth.

6. In combination with the shell-holder D,

I the spring R, secured to the arm 0, and caused to press against therim of the cartridge-shell base, so as to retain the shell in positionand prevent it from turning during the operation of crimping, as setforth.

7. The frame L, made to slide upon the frame A, in combination with acrimper, P, j ournaled in the same and operated by a crank, Q, ahand-lever, M, fulcrumed in the frame A, by which the frame L is movedto and fro, and the rest N, as shown and described.

8. The cap-holder S, in combination with and pivoted to the under sideof the cartridgeholder D, so as to enable it to swing and carry a cap tothe center of the shell-holder, the lever T, fulcrumed to the frame Aand held in an elevated position by means of a spring, U, the inner endof the lever T bearing upon the lower end of a plunger, V, moving in thecarrier S, whereby upon depressing the lever T a cap is forced into thecartridge-shell, as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALTER HILL.

Witnesses:

J. H. Amms, E. PLANTA.

